Made another batch this evening, in full family mode, and no one objected:
This was the best batch ever, made the least mess, with the best result:
All weights approximate but pretty close:
19 g gelatin in 1/2 cup IO saltwater, boiled (microwave). If you are using RO, add a pinch of salt before you attempt to boil it. Sprinkle gelatin on top after it has boiled. Set it aside while you fix everything else, and mix well just before using. This time I needed to reheat it a little to get the gelatin fully dissolved.
Mixed in gallon ziplock freezer bag (must be a strong bag, because there is much manipulation):
5 g kelp powder
12 g naturose
12 g krill meal
9 g spirulina powder
blended in food processor until mushy:
22 g fresh scallops (1 large)
160 g fresh fish(atlantic salmon, wild, skinned, made a paste in the food processor)
Then, leaving the mush in the processor, I changed the food processor blade for a grating disk, medium (Cuisinart) size. Grated:
26 g frozen shrimp ,( one large whole with shell and legs, no head)
20 g frozen mussels, clams
30g frozen squid
Then I replaced the grating disk with the blending blade again, and mixed the seafood into a paste like consistency.
I added the dissolved gelatin to the powders in the bag. I thought at the time that I was absent minded to add the gelatin while it was still hot, but having done it, I went forward. Perhaps it was a good mistake…. I mixed the gelatin with the powders by kneading the closed bag. Then I added the seafood ball of mush, and kneaded that with the gelatin and powders in the closed bag (some air, but not much) until it was all pretty evenly distributed. This took some time, and I suspect that the frozen stuff became unfrozen, but it was still cool.
A funny thing happened while I was kneading. I noticed that the bits of food began to have an affinity to themselves. In other words, they began to stick to the other particles of food, rather than cling to the bag. I could maneuver the food into a ball in the center of the bag, and get it all out of the corners of the bag. Then I flattened it, folded the flattened mass in half, flattened again, reapeated the folding and flattening until I was sure the the mass was an even color, and well mixed. Then I used a rolling pin to flatten the mass evenly. Then I used the back of a long knife (not the sharp edge, or you could use anything long, narrow and straight) to make impressions in the dough. I divided it in half, then divided the halves in half, then divided the quarters in half, and continued in the this way, in both the north south, and the east west directions. The dough held together well, but was manipulatable, so that I divided the dough into daily servings this way. Then I used a cookie sheet (can use any flat thin sheet) to transfer the bag to the freezer, and froze it in a horizontal position. This morning the divided portions were easily broken into single servings. This was the best preparation ever!
The portions thawed quickly in the morning, and did not color the saltwater significantly. The particle size was perfect. The fish are nuts for it.
There is little to no waste, it is simple to clean up, there were no untoward odors to alarm the family….I am liking this recipe.
So that's 300g food mixed with 1/2 cup of water and 19g gelatin, or 15.5 g food per gram of gelatin.